SLO District Attorney rules vote error a spreadsheet mistake and not outside election interference

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Unity closed an investigation into a spreadsheet error that increased the number of provisional ballots assuring the general public of fair election results.

The DA's office received a written referral from a federal law enforcement agency about alleged election crimes during the ballot count in the 2022 election cycle.

The referral focused on a Nov.23 unexplained increase of more than 300 provisional ballots announced during a public update.

SLO county Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano cooperated in the investigation, which found no evidence of outside interference, but that it was a clinical spreadsheet calculation error.

SLO county Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano provided the following statement on election transparency and the incident.

"At the time of the first report to the SOS, the excel spreadsheet did not generate "totals" for the provisional ballots for precinct numbers 101-123 and 201-220, respectively, which cumulatively equaled 327 provisional ballots. Consequently, when my office reported the estimate of total unprocessed provisional ballots to the SOS on the second day after the election, the provisional ballots for the referenced precincts were not included in that estimate. When the results of the election were updated on November 23, 2022, the provisional ballot totals for precincts 101-123 and 201-220 were captured and included in the "estimated" numbers provided to the SOS on that same day.”

San Luis Obispo county voters can have full confidence in factual correct fair election results by Dec. 8, according the public officials.